Opposition asks for help as crackdown on Bahrain Shias continues

Bahrain's opposition asked for UN and American intervention in the government crackdown on the Shia protesters trying to loosen the monarchy's grip, in a brief demonstration yesterday in the capital that disbanded before police could arrive to break it up.

The 18 opposition MPs protesting yesterday at the UN offices in Manama resigned last month to protest the crackdown on the month-long revolt, inspired by the pro-democracy uprisings across the Arab world. Bahrain's Sunni king declared martial law last week, and a Saudi-led military force from other Gulf nations is in the country to back him.

In the protest, the MPs appealed to the UN to stop the violence against protesters and mediate talks between the opposition and the monarchy; they asked the United States to pressure the Gulf force to leave.

"They should return home. There is no need for them to be here, since this a political, not a military problem," said Jassim Hussein, a former MP of Bahrain's largest Shiite group, al-Wefaq.

Opposition leaders said they will continue with peaceful resistance to what they say is oppression and economic inequality. They will also keep demanding an elected government and equal rights for the majority Shiite community, which they say suffers discrimination under Sunni rule.

Shias make up about 70 per cent of Bahrain's population of half a million.